Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to online shopping and more particularly to presenting product recommendations during online shopping.
Description of the Related Art
Electronic commerce or e-commerce is a term generally used for any type of business, or commercial transaction, that involves the transfer of information across the Internet. The backbone of e-commerce is online shopping. Online shopping virtualizes the traditional in-store shopping experience by providing a view to a “store” through a Web browser and a virtualized shopping cart into which the online shopper may place selected items for purchase. At the convenience of the online shopper, the cart can be processed during checkout, payment received and delivery of the purchased items.
During in in-store shopping experience, the shopper may “browse” items for sale. To the extent that others shop the same physical portion of the store, the shopper may interact with other shoppers in order to exchange information regarding items of interest in the store. Oftentimes, shoppers research items of interest in advance through traditional and modern media sources such as magazines, newspaper articles, televised testimonials and the like. With the advent of World Wide Web, shoppers can seek online reviews and discussions of products of interest prior to visiting a store. Likewise, shoppers can seek online reviews and discussions of products of interest prior to or concurrently with engaging in an online shopping session.
Notwithstanding, little can substitute for the opportunity of one shopper to physically interact and consult in person with another during a shopping experience. Online retailers attempt to account for this need by providing various shopping tools during an online shopping session. In this regard, as the online shopper selects items of interest, a presentation of the feedback of other shoppers can be presented in the same display. Further, hyperlinks to extrinsic information pertaining to a selected product can be displayed to the end user, including product video presentations. However, nothing to date acts as a satisfactory substitute for the cooperative experience of two shoppers interacting in respect to an item of interest as is possible in the traditional brick and mortar setting.